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Website?

Hi, Im new to coding im after learnig so that i can build websites for myself and my friends ...Im after some help in coding IE: php,html etc to build basic websites that involve images and text. Thanks

If you're asking where you can get started I'd suggest starting with HTML & CSS until you feel competent at both. Then I'd move on to learn JavaScript, PHP, and MySQL to add functionality to your website.

I remember when I first started building websites I had trouble understanding what languages were used for what and how to use them. So I'll try to clarify that up for you:

HTML - the base language of the web. No matter what language you use on the internet, HTML will be a part of your website. HTML is what puts all the different languages together into one page.

CSS - The design language. CSS will allow you to position elements, change element colors, font styles and many other things can be done with CSS. I highly suggest mastering CSS as you can do MANY MANY things with it. Even Animation now with CSS3.

JavaScript - Adds user functionality to pages. JavaScript can be used to display popup boxes (modal windows), make cool text effects, make on mouse click events and hover events. JavaScript is necessary to add user interaction to your website, which now-a-days is a necessity.

PHP - The server-side scripting language. PHP is personally my favorite language just because you can do SO MUCH with it. PHP is what will handle anything like contact forms, form submissions, logins, registrations, database management and everything like that. This is the language you will use if you need to store info in a database.

Learning HTML & CSS will get you a static website. To add any real functionality will require PHP and/or Javascript. You'll also need to access a database (Mysql). The first two aren't programming languages, so are pretty easy to pick up and learn. Just read the online guide and fiddle with them and things will start to come together.

Mysql is also very easy to learn, and really, there's not a lot that you actually have to learn to get it to do what you want. Experience mostly just helps in getting the info faster and more efficiently.

However, PHP and Javascript are real programming languages. Meaning relatively complex syntax and logical operators. If you've never programmed before, these will be major hurtles to overcome.

Of the two, I'd begin with PHP. It's a little easier to understand. However, it's a server-side language, so you'll require a host to run the programs. You can set up a local-host on your computer, but it's not super simple. (If you have a little cash, just buy a cheap shared-hosting site and work on there. That's what I did).

All that said, my recommendation is to learn Python. From all the research I did it's by far the easiest to learn and use. You can even use it for server-side programming instead of PHP. (Although I didn't try it, it looks far more complicated to get it running than PHP. -Python 3 that is-)

Even if you don't end up using Python, the lessons you learn from it will allow you to quickly pick up any programming language you choose to learn. Programming is a major challenge, Python makes it as easy as possible.

I'd recommend going right to the syntax of the language you want to learn, and studying that until you understand it. I remember struggling through tutorials, feeling like I wasn't really getting it because I wouldn't understand all the examples or terminology. After that I have always got my head around the concept of the language first, be it a simple markup language or programming, after which I can expand my knowledge of that language very quickly with relative ease.

Oh, and did I mention everything you ever need to know about web development is a quick Google search away? I've heard that up to 9 out of 10 web developers are self-taught, all you need is the motivation and time.

thanks peeps, all im after is to learn html with css that would be enuff for what i need a kids website and a buisness one for houses n flats.... so just images n text etc but he wants some interactive stuff as well plus its just 5 or 6 pages on each website etc......so if i use CSS,HTML,JavaScript it shud work?

Yes, you can create fine websites with just HTML and CSS. When you come to creating interactive features Javascript should be of great help. Generally speaking you won't need to go much higher ( Server-side languages like PHP, databases, etc ) unless you start getting rather serious ( or, perhaps I should say complicated ) with your projects.